Penitent
by iloveromance
Summary: Niles thought he'd made peace with the tragic loss of his patient, but when memories begin to haunt him, he decides to do something to comfort his patient's loved ones. Unfortunately despite his good intentions,things go wrong in a very big way. Will he ever find peace again? A continuation of sorts of "Nescient" by Kalimyre.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is an unofficial continuation of sorts of Nescient by Kalimyre that doesn't really need to be continued (since it's wonderful on its' own), but because it touched me on a personal level, I'm thankful for having the permission to add to it. I only hope that my story will do justice to the original. **_

**Penitent; adjective-having or showing remorse for wrongdoing. **

Niles drew back slowly, wanting to savor this moment as long as he could. And when their lips were no longer touching, he stared into Daphne's tear-filled eyes. There was so much more he wanted to tell her, so much he couldn't say. But luckily it was she who spoke first.

"So does that mean yes?" She was asking him now.

"Um... yes, what?"

She smiled and gently brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. "You're nervous, aren't you? I'm a bit nervous meself. But I was asking if the kiss was your answer to me question."

"Oh yes... I-I mean yes, of course Daphne. Of course I'm free for a date with you; every night until the end of time, in fact."

Her cheeks colored fiercely. "Dr. Crane..."

"Please... he whispered, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. "Call me _Niles_."

"A-all right. _Niles_..."

The sound of his name on her lips made him smile and he couldn't resist kissing her once more.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go." He whispered as the kiss ended and she drew him into her arms.

Their arms wrapped around each other, they stood in silence for several seconds. Regrettably, Niles stole a glance at his watch, sighing when he realized how late it had become. He hated to leave but he'd imposed on her long enough.

"I should go."

She leaned against him and in response he drew her closer.

"Are you okay, Niles?"

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her heavenly scent. He was always amazed at how it calmed him and now that he'd confessed his feelings, the calmness was even more so.

"Niles?"

He lifted his head, suddenly aware that she was speaking to him. Her soothing hand moved up and down his back.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you Daphne. But I really should go."

"All right, I understand. Let me walk you to the door."

They stood in the foyer, staring at one another and Niles could hardly believe that this was happening. In the course of one day his life had changed dramatically. Daphne hadn't said that she loved him, but she hadn't rejected him either.

Hesitantly he leaned foreword to kiss her.

"I'll call you later and we can make plans for our date."

His heart skipped a beat as he said the words, for he could hardly believe he was saying them.

"I'd like that." Daphne replied.

And as Niles walked to his car, his heart was filled with joy.


	2. Chapter 2

The moment he entered his office, Niles knew it was a mistake.

"Dr. Crane!"

Grateful for the sight of beloved secretary, Niles smiled as cheerfully as possible.

"Good morning, Mrs. Woodson. How are you this-what's wrong?"

Her usually warm smile disappeared as she laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"I know it's none of my business but I heard about Mr. Murchison."

Niles inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly.

"It's not your fault, Dr. Crane. You couldn't have known." She said quietly.

He lowered his head and nodded sadly, thinking of his patient who had so tragically taken his own life.

"Thank you, Mrs. Woodson."

"If you don't mind my saying so, I was surprised to see you back at work so soon."

"Well, I just-."

To his surprise, she hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane. I know it's hard."

"Thank you." He said again. When she released him he walked into his office, but then turned to face her.

"I won't be here very long. I was just going to do some paperwork and ..." His voice trailed away, leaving the rest of his thoughts unspoken.

"Shall I cancel your appointments?" Mrs. Woodson asked carefully. She meant nothing by it but he flinched just the same.

Instantly the phone call he'd received the morning before from Sandra Murchison resurfaced, along with her angry, cutting words;

"_You never listened to a word my father said! Maybe if you'd been paying attention, he would have gotten better! You should have known! How could you not know? You saw him every week for three years! How could you let this happen? You don't even care, do you? He's just another paycheck to you!" _

The words which were now only a memory stabbed through his heart creating a painful ache.

He thought he had gotten over this; the feeling of guilt, of knowing he could have said or done something, anything to prevent this terrible tragedy from happening. But being here in his office just brought it all back.

"Dr Crane?"

He looked up in surprise, suddenly brought back to the present. "Yes, Mrs. Woodson?"

"I was asking if you want me to cancel your appointments."

"Oh, I..."

As quickly as possible he mentally ran through his list of patients who were scheduled for that day. He'd already canceled his appointments once this week. To cancel again would surely-

"It's okay to take some time off, Dr. Crane." Mrs. Woodson said quietly. "It doesn't make you a bad person."

Niles smiled and took her hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Woodson. I suppose you're right. I'll just finish up here."

"All right. I'll start making some phone calls."

"You can go ahead after you're finished. You deserve some time off as well, Mrs. Woodson."

She smiled and hugged him. "Everything will be all right, Dr Crane. I promise."

* * *

When he was alone he sat down at his desk and looked around his office. He knew it was risky, but he could no longer sit idly by and do nothing. He rose from his chair and crossed the office to his file cabinet, rifling through the files until he found what he wanted.

Comfortably settled in his chair, he poured through Tony Murchison's file in an attempt to find anything that would give him some sort of clue as to what he could have said or done to prevent this terrible tragedy from happening. But as he suspected, he found nothing.

Once more his thoughts went to his daughter Sandra and her angry, hurt voice. He couldn't imagine losing his father in such a tragic way and he knew that were he in the same position, he would have lashed out as well.

But there had to be a way to help her. She wasn't his patient, but if he could at least talk to her... For the first time since he could remember, he wanted to cast his ethics aside in the name of compassion.

It was wrong; he knew that. But it seemed even more so to just ignore it, knowing he could have done something. A quick search on his computer brought up her name and phone number and he settled into his chair, ready to make amends.

He dialed the number and it rang almost ten times before a groggy voice answered.

He recognized it instantly as that of Mrs. Murchison.

_"Hello?"_

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Hello, I'm looking for Sandra Murchison."

_"Speaking."_

"Yes, this is Dr. Niles Crane and-."

There was silence on the other end of the line and then a thud, as though the receiver had fallen from her hand.

_"What do you want?"_

"Well the reason I'm calling is because-."

_"What in the hell do you think you're doing? How dare you call here and ask to speak to me as though I'm just another one of your damn patients? Isn't it bad enough that you let my father die?"_

Niles flinched at the harsh words. "Mrs. Murchison, I never-."

"_Damn you!" _She sobbed_. "How could you see him every week for three years and not know? All you shrink's care about are your Mercedes' and big fancy houses. Well guess what? My father was a wonderful man and he didn't want to burden us with his problems so he came to you. A lot of good that did!"_

"But Mrs. Murchison-._"_

_"What do you want?"_ She yelled.

"I meant no harm. I-I just want to help you."

_"Oh, **now** you want to help?"_

"I just thought if you wanted to talk I'd be happy to-."

_"Damn you, Dr. Crane!"_ She sobbed again. _"I should report you to whomever is responsible for giving you a license to practice and when I do, you'll be out on the streets where you belong!"_

"I'm sorry, I-."

_"Don't ever call here again because if you do, I'll call the police!"_

"Mrs. Murchi-."

The phone slammed in his ear and the dial tone that followed was deafening.


	3. Chapter 3

He was still holding the phone in his hand when Mrs. Woodson walked into his office.  
"I've called all of your patients Dr. Crane so if you don't need me to stay, I'll-Dr. Crane? Are you all right?"  
She moved closer to him, her eyes widening in surprise at the sight of his face in his hands.

"Dr. Crane?"  
He looked up through blurry, tear-filled eyes. "Oh... Mrs. Woodson. I thought you'd gone already."  
"It's a good thing I stayed. But I think you should go home. You don't look very well."  
"I'll be fine. I just need a few-."  
"Nonsense, Dr. Crane! Now, I don't want to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but after what happened to Mr. Murchison, I don't see how anyone could be fine. Your patients can wait and if worse comes to worst; you can always refer them to your brother."

Niles looked up sharply. "Frasier? But I never told him-."  
"Oh... Well, let's not worry about that now. Why don't you just go home and get some rest? If you feel up to it, I'll see you at the office in the morning."  
Niles tried to smile but he just couldn't. "Thank you. Mrs. Woodson. You can go now."  
"Goodnight, Dr. Crane."  
When she was gone, he sank into his chair, feeling worse than ever before.

How could he have been so stupid? He'd never gone against his ethics; ever. And now he'd made the biggest mistake of his career-and perhaps his life.

Why couldn't he just let Tony's death go? He thought he'd made peace with it when he'd arrived at Frasier's. He'd been expecting to talk to his brother but it was Daphne who was there for him and comforted him in a way that no one ever had. If it weren't for her kindness and understanding he would have never had the courage to tell her how he felt. And now they were actually going out on a date! It was like a dream come true.

Only now his world had come crashing down because of one stupid decision.

For one insane moment he considered calling Daphne to cancel their date but he just couldn't do it. Not when she'd made him happier than he'd ever dreamed. He wouldn't hurt her for the world and the thought of being with her made his heart sing. And if only for a moment, he felt alive again.


	4. Chapter 4

He dressed carefully, but tastefully, not wanting to appear out of place, for he had no idea where they were going. But it didn't matter, for wherever he was had to be heavenly as long as Daphne was with him.

He smiled, thinking about their conversation over the phone. He could hear the excitement in her voice as she told him that she was looking foreword to seeing him. And as he drove to Frasier's, he found that he'd barely thought about the horrible mistake he'd made earlier.

Niles parked his car in the Elliot Bay Towers parking garage and retrieved the bouquet of flowers from the passenger seat. Within minutes he was ringing Frasier's doorbell, his heart on his sleeve. The door opened and he was suddenly reminded of how nervous he was.  
"Oh, Dr. Crane! Right on time!"  
"Hello, Daphne. You look..."  
He paused and looked her up and down; the scent of her hair wafting in his direction.

"Is something wrong?"  
He swallowed hard. "Not at all. You look... So beautiful."  
Daphne glanced down at her blue sweater and matching print skirt, and then smiled as she kissed his cheek.

"Well, aren't you sweet? And you look very handsome as well."  
Niles blushed deeply and handed her the flowers. "I-I bought these for you."

"Niles..."  
Her eyes filled with tears and she quickly kissed his lips. "Thank you, so much."  
He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to kiss her again. "So where would you like to go? I meant what I said. I'll take you anywhere. The opera, the ballet, the finest restaurant..."  
Daphne grinned. "Actually this might sound a bit silly but there's a new romantic comedy that I've been dying to see."  
"It's not silly at all. I'll be glad to take you."  
She hugged him once more. "Thank you, Niles. Shall we go?"  
He offered her his arm. "I can hardly wait."

As the lights dimmed, Niles could hardly believe that he was sitting in a movie theatre with the woman he loved. It was like a dream come true. He didn't even care that they were about to see a "chick flick" as they were called.

The movie began and Niles could tell right away he wasn't going to enjoy it. The plot was completely far fetched and the acting was atrocious. It made his and Frasier's high school productions of Hamlet look like Oscar worthy performances.

He looked around the dark theatre wondering how anyone could find such a horrible movie remotely enjoyable. But as he looked at Daphne, his heart melted when he saw that she was crying. He reached into his breast pocket and handed her his handkerchief. His heart beat faster when she smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. Hesitantly his arm went around her and she snuggled against him. If there was a more perfect moment, he doubted that it existed.

He was determined to enjoy the ridiculous movie but he found himself caught up in the storyline involving a woman and her father.

Daphne leaned against him, affording him a whiff of her perfume and her shampoo; a combination that sent his mind reeling. The more the film droned on, the more he began following the romantically sweet storyline more closely.

Not surprisingly the storyline took a tragic turn when the father died unexpectedly. The distraught daughter lashed out at the man she loved and had come to trust, blaming him for her father's death.

"How could you let this happen? How could you not have seen the signs? They were all there, right in front of you!"  
Niles froze as an icy chill ran through his body. It was the most unbelievable display of life imitating art that he'd ever seen.

Sandra Murchison's harsh, angry words thundered in his head, along with images of Tony. It was all coming back to him in a giant rush; the phone call, the guilt... it was all becoming too much.

He couldn't stay here. He had to leave; had to go somewhere to breathe. Without a word to Daphne he rose from his seat and quietly slipped out of the theatre. As he suspected she remained fixated at the screen, seemingly unaware of his absence.

In the lobby, he was grateful to be alone as he staggered about, trying to calm himself. Dear God how had he managed to sink so low? He was a disgrace to the psychiatry profession. Frasier would be livid when he heard about what Niles had done. But Frasier's opinion was the least of his worried. He'd become a psychiatrist to make his mother proud, and now he'd tarnished that dream. Feeling more remorse than he thought possible, Niles sat down on a cushioned chair in the middle of the lobby and buried his face in his hands.


	5. Chapter 5

A small warm weight on his back returned him to the present and he slowly raised his head. When he did, he found himself gazing into a pair of beautiful brown eyes.

"Daphne..."

He looked at his watch, horrified when he realized how long he'd been sitting there.

"Daphne, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you alone. I just-"

She sat down beside him and smiled. "It's all right."

"But your movie-."

Daphne took his hand. "I'll watch it some other time."

"No, Daphne. I can't let you do that. We'll stay for the next showing and-."

"Hush." She whispered, placing her fingers over his mouth. "It's just a silly movie and I can watch it any time. I came out here because I was worried about you."

"Oh..."

"You were gone a long time."

He sighed deeply and lowered his head. "I know..."

She touched his chin and gently raised his head until their eyes met.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm a disgrace."

She gasped and wrapped her arms around him. "That's nonsense. You're a wonderful man!"

"Well, thank you Daphne but I'm afraid I've ruined my reputation in this city for good."  
"I don't understand."

"I don't think anyone could." Niles said sadly.

Daphne's hand moved in slow circles across his back. "I might, if you told me what it was."

The deep sigh that escaped became a humiliating sob and he found himself wrapped in her arms. For several blissful minutes he cried; his face buried against her neck.

He felt like a child as she stroked his hair and her gentle touch slowly soothed him. When he was calm, he looked at her through tear-filled eyes. "I-I'm sorry. You must think I'm ridiculous."

"Come on, let's go." She whispered.

Against his protests, she took his hand and led him out of the theatre.

They drove in silence and Niles found it nearly impossible to conceal the tears in his eyes. When he sniffled, he felt Daphne slip her hand into his and squeeze gently.

"Would you like to have some dinner? I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

Despite his efforts to keep his voice steady, it broke suddenly causing him to stare out the window in complete humiliation.

Dear God, what must she think of him?

When he slowed the car at a red light, Daphne touched his forearm.

"Niles?"

He turned to her, his eyes still filled with tears.

"Where ever you want to go is fine."

Her voice was so gentle that even more tears fell and as before he quickly looked away.

After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the Elliot Bay Towers and he was filled with disappointment. He hadn't wanted to end their date so abruptly, but he didn't know where to go. He could barely speak as they got out of his car and walked into the building, but he felt her hand, soft and warm in his.

The next thing he knew they were standing outside of Frasier's door.

"Would you like to come in? It's your home too." Daphne said quietly.

"No... I'll just be going home... to my home."

He saw her smile disappear; replaced with a disappointed look. "Oh... Well, all right. I guess I'll..."

"Daphne?"

"Yes, Niles?"

"I'm sorry I ruined our date. I know how much you were looking foreword to it."

She touched his cheek. "You didn't ruin anything. I had a lovely time. I just wish I knew what has gotten you so upset."

"I'm a disgrace." He said for the second time.

"Hush!" Daphne ordered. "This isn't like you Niles, saying such a horrible thing about yourself. You're no disgrace at all. You're a wonderful, sweet and caring man. Now what's gotten into you?"

He sighed deeply. "May I come in?"

"Of course you can."

She ushered him inside and closed the door. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'll just make a sherry."

His drink in hand, he sat down on the sofa, giving her a sad smile when she sat down next to him. At first he didn't look at her; couldn't look at her for fear of breaking down. But when she gently turned his face toward her, he knew there was no going back.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh Daphne, I've done something horrible and I think I've ruined my career and my reputation. I'll never forgive myself!"

She took his hand in both of hers. "Now, it can't be that bad."

"I'm afraid it is. I should have never gone to my office this morning. What was I thinking, expecting that everything would be the same after..."

His voice trailed away and he daringly looked into her eyes.

"After what happened to Tony?"

The quiet way she asked the question made him sigh deeply and he nodded. "Yes."

"Well... that's understandable. It's such a terrible and tragic thing for anyone. You can't be expected to just forget about it."

"Thank you, Daphne. You're right. I can't forget about it. In fact, I can't stop thinking about what I could have said or done. Perhaps if I'd listened to him a little better or persuaded him to open up a little more."

"You did everything you could." Daphne said. "You listened to him and you cared."

"I know. But then I thought about his daughter and how hurt and angry she was when she called and told me the news. I-."

"You wanted to help her."

Niles was astonished at her perception. "Well, yes but how did you know?"

"You're that sort of man. It's only natural that you'd want to help her. I'm sure she was very grateful."

"A-actually she wasn't. Far from it in fact."

"What are you saying?"

"She-she was furious, Daphne! She lashed out at me, screaming, asking how I could even think of calling her after what I'd done! She kept asking why I didn't see the signs. I should have seen them I suppose. I just... And the things she said next were just horrible, although I deserved them. She said she was going to have my license revoked and-."

"She's hurting, Niles. And she's angry."

"But I should have never-what was I thinking calling her after she'd gotten so angry the first time? I've never gone against my ethics. They're so important to me and it's one of the few things that I'm proud of about myself is that my ethics are strong. If she has her way, I'll be unemployed and I'll never find work again. I'm sure Frasier will be livid when she hears about this! A-and Dad... and... Mom would-."

When his voice broke, Daphne took him into her arms, holding him so close that he could feel her heart beating. He melted against her and closed his eyes.

"You sweet, man. No wonder you're hurting." She whispered as she stroked his back. "I can't imagine what you must be going through. But it's not your fault. What happened to Tony was horrible and if it were my father, I would never be able to understand it. I'd be angry and hurt and ready to inflict pain upon anyone around me. But there must have been more to Tony's problems then anyone knew. Something that even you or his daughter couldn't see. It sounds like he was afraid to open up and speak his mind. But that's not your fault. Still, losing someone so tragically... That must be horrible. But I'm sure that deep down his daughter knows that you were trying to help."

"I don't think so." He said in a muffled voice against her shoulder.

"Well... let's not think about that now." She said quietly. "The important thing is that you cared and you were trying to help. I'm sure your brother will understand. He knows that you would never hurt anyone deliberately. You're a sweet and wonderful and caring man. Anyone who can't see that isn't worth your time or effort."

He drew back and stared into her eyes. "I love you, Daphne. I love you so much."


	6. Chapter 6

"Niles, that's..."

He kissed her without reserve, his lips finding hers again and again. The kisses became sweeter, more passionate and his anxieties slowly started to melt away.

Gone were the thoughts of guilt and remorse about Tony, replaced by the intense love that he felt for the woman in his arms. They were still kissing when the door opened, startling them apart and they looked up to find Frasier staring at them in disbelief.

"Oh... Hello Dr. Crane."

"Frasier..."

"What's this?"

Nervously, Niles ran his hand through his hair. "What are you talking about, Frasier?"

"I'm talking about you and Daphne. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Actually Frasier, there is something I wanted to talk to y0ou about. But first..."

He turned to Daphne and took her hand bringing it to his lips. "Daphne, about what I told you... I know I said earlier that it didn't matter if you returned my feelings but now I have to know if you feel the same way."

"I-I'm starting to."

For the first time since he could remember, he smiled. "Y-you are?"

"Yes."

And without any regard for his brother, she kissed Niles on the lips. "Now, I'll leave you alone while you and your brother talk. It's late and I should be getting to bed. I had a lovely evening and perhaps when you're feeling better we can do it again. And since it was my invitation, I insist that you decide where we go and what we do."

"But what about your movie?"

"There'll be plenty of time for that. This will be your night and my treat. I want it to be special. And Niles?"

"Yes Daphne?"

She gently took his face in her hands. "I'm here if you need me."

"Thank you, Daphne. You're an angel."

"Well aren't you sweet? I'll see you later and we'll decide when we're going out on that date."

"I'm looking foreword to it."

"So am I."

They kissed once more and then she was gone.

"Sherry, Niles?"

Niles handed Frasier his empty glass. "Yes, Frasier. Thank you."

He watched as Frasier crossed the room to the bar and return minutes with a full glass.

"So Niles, what's going on between you and Daphne?"

"Well, I told her."

Frasier's eyes narrowed. "Told her _what_ exactly?"

"For God's sake, Frasier what do you think? I told her that I love her."

"Oh Niles... What possessed you to such an unspeakable thing?"

"What's wrong with it? I had to tell her sooner or later!"

"Well this is exactly what I was afraid of!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're just going to end up getting hurt!"

"How can you say that? Were you not aware of the fact that we were kissing when you came in? Or the sweet things she said to me before she left?"

"Well of course I saw that, Niles but what kind of future could you possibly have?"

Hurt by his brother's harshness, he sighed and turned away.

"Daphne cares about me, Frasier and I'm sorry if you don't approve but I love her! She helped me through a tremendously difficult time recently."

"Oh really? And what difficult time was that? Was Maris giving you hell again? Well I'm sorry Niles but that woman is nothing but trouble but that's no reason to go running to Daphne when-."

"Dr. Crane!"

Frasier and Niles turned to find Daphne walking into the living room, wearing her robe and slippers.

"Daphne what do you want?"

She stormed over to Frasier and Niles; her expression one of anger. "How can you talk to your brother so harshly? And as for him telling me that he loves me, I loved hearing it! I care about him and was glad to help him through such a horrible time. I noticed you weren't anywhere around. When he came over the other day he was looking for you!"

"Well excuse me for having a social life!" Frasier yelled.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned about your brother?"

"Actually yes! I'm concerned about this so called romance that you two have brewing here! It's nothing but trouble!"

"It's not a romance!" Daphne yelled as she cast a worried look at Niles and touched his shoulder. "I-I mean... Not yet, but I do care for your brother... a lot. He's the sweetest, kindest man."

"Thank you, Daphne."

"But this is ridiculous!" Frasier continued. "What could you possibly have in common?

And what could you possibly have helped him with, Daphne? You know nothing about psychiatry!"

"For your information, your brother lost a patient recently!" Daphne yelled; her voice breaking. "H-he was distraught and hurt and needed a friend! Oh, I should have known that you didn't care! I-I'm so sorry, Niles."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she kissed him once more and then hurried to return to her room.

Alone in the living room, Frasier turned to Niles and sighed. "I'm sorry, Niles. I didn't know. What happened?"

"Well I had this patient named Tony; a foreman at a construction company..."

As Niles talked about Tony he felt a bit better, but he couldn't help thinking about how much Daphne had helped him through such a terrible ordeal. And when he was finished, Frasier draped an arm around him. "Oh Niles... I'm so sorry. This must have been so difficult for you. But it's not your fault."

Niles nodded. "I-I know, but-."

"It's hard not to think about, isn't it?"

"What?"

"The guilt."

"What?"  
"The guilt of knowing you could have said or done something."

"Actually I did something that I'm not proud of."

"Niles, whatever you said to this man was-."

"Its not what I said to Tony. It's what I did... afterwards."

"What are you talking about?"

Niles stood and paced the room. "I... I called his daughter. I looked up her number on the computer and called her, asking if I could help her; practically offered her a free session!"

"Oh Niles, you didn't!"

"I know... I'm a disgrace."

"No... You're not. Truth be told, I would have done the same thing."

"Y-you would? But s-she threatened to have my license revoked!"

"That's just her anger talking."

"You don't know that, Frasier! What if it happens? I'll never work in this city again! And everything I've done to try to make Mom proud of me will be-."

When his voice broke, Frasier hugged his brother. "So this is what's bothering you. You're worried about what Mom would think."

"Well, wouldn't you be?"

"I wouldn't be human if I didn't. But Niles she'd be proud of you anyway. You showed that you care and that's a hell of a lot more than most people do around here."

"Thanks, Frasier."

"I mean that, Niles. And as for what I said about you and Daphne. I'm sorry. I'm glad you have each other. Would you please tell her that I'm sorry? I'm just tired and I was surprised to find you two together. I hope you two will be very happy with each other."

"Thank you, Dr. Crane."

They turned to find Daphne walking into the living room. "That means a lot to me."

"Daphne, I-."

She walked over to Frasier and hugged him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, Niles you're welcome to spend the night but I'm going to bed. I'm beat. And don't worry about what happened. We'll work though it, okay? Everything will be just fine."

"Thanks, Frasier. Goodnight."

When Frasier was gone, Daphne smiled at Niles. "Did you want to spend the night?"

"I would love nothing more. But I should go. I really do have some work to catch up on."

"All right then. I'll call you later, all right?"

He smiled and kissed her. "I can hardly wait."

"Goodnight, Niles."

"Goodnight, my love."

She opened the door for him as he stepped into the hallway and pushed the button for the elevator.

"Niles?"

"Yes, my angel?"

"I meant what I said. I'll be here for you, whenever you need me."

He smiled as her sweet words warmed his heart, and despite the open elevator doors, returned to where she stood in the doorway and kissed her.

"I always need you, Daphne. I'll never stop."

Giving her one last kiss, he pushed the elevator call button once more and stepped inside. And just as the elevator doors closed he heard the words he'd always longed to hear.

The words were spoken softly, almost as though she was thinking out loud. They may not have been meant for his ears, but they most certainly touched his heart;

"_I love you, Niles."_

**THE END**


End file.
